I’d appreciate advice on shop vacs. I’ve read FWW Issue 163, but still unsure.
I just visited Amazon and found specs and buyer reviews on the Bosch 3931A.
The reviews seem very favorable. Any more ideas out there.
Eventually I do plan on getting a real dust collection system; after I get out of the cellar. However I do need something until that wish comes true.
Replies
I have 3...Fein is quietest; about the same as a quality home vac. And powerful. Disposable bags are a handy feature, but works without them. Some are available used as sellers are getting the louder Festool!
Thanks Knuts ! Fein is one shop vac I've considered. I am a slow buyer...... sometime over thinking options etc.
The Fein and the Festool are great. I have used them in other shops but do not own them. I have a shopvac and a rigid. For me the difference did not seem that great. The difference in price is substantial so I have one that basically lives with my mitre saw and another I use for hand sanders, biscuit jointer etc that lives in a bench. On top of that I have a small dust collector for my table saw, jointer and planer. I paid less for all three than for a top end Festool. If I had room for only one and the money to spend I would have been really tempted by either the Fein or Festool. They are really nice.
An added benefit of a rigid or shopvac is that when you accidentally drop a beam on it or your wife backs over it with the car you do not need to invent new swear words to express your frustration :). My 14 year old shop vac is literally held together with duct tape and still works great. I am still in tool collecting phase (does that ever end) so for me I thought the extra money was better spent elsewhere. You literally could get a 6" jointer, LN plane, or portable planer for the difference in price between a high end and a low end vac.
Hey Soak, thanks for the advice.
I like your logic; spend a little less and buy another toy!
You said it like it is!
Sounds like the shop vac is a short term measure, if so the cheaper brands like shop vac upgraded with a Clean stream filter and dry wall bags would probably rival the performance of a more expensive vac with out the cost.
If you wish to increase the capacity of the vac checkout this option, http://www.cgallery.com/jpthien/cy.htm
Rgds
John
John05, I appreciate the link. Another good solution to consider.
My first intuition is to go the route you suggested. At 65 I'm sure not going to get any younger. So I must ---- or get off the pot soon!
Thanks,
Groucho,
In addition to two dust collectors, I have both the ShopVac and the Fein. I use them both a lot for different reasons. The Fein is quieter.
Nothing to back it up but the ShopVac - for me - is more powerful. I use the ShopVac for the chip sucking like in a portable take-off at the drill press and the Fein for dust and hooked to portable power tools. Had both for over ten years and not a lick of problems on either. Did throw away the ShopVac's original hose and replaced it with an after-market one that had more flex.
BB
Boilerbay- thanks for your advice.
I guess it's like any other tool purchase.
Make a decision and learn to live with it.
Just depends how much you want to pay for that particular toy.
I have the Fein.
Before that I had cheep ShopVacs. So loud I had to wear ear protection. Seemed louder than my routers!
I also bought the powered floor cleaning tool like for carpets. The actual power head is good quality but the damned wand always comes apart at the handle. Needs a positive click lock. I tape it with electrician's tape but for the price one expects more.
The vac is very quiet. The one thing I don't like or that the newer box shaped vacs may have is better stability. When I pull my Fein across the floor if it hits a lump like the transition between linoleum and carpet it can tip over. because the hose attaches high up and the motor in the Fein is quite heavy and so is top heavy.
Mostly I bought it to use with my bandsaw and it keeps up if using the large hose that fits into the same hole as the small hose (small has reducer built in). The automatic start stop does not work with bandsaw because I have bandsaw running on 220 v. Maybe some day I will look into a work around but no big deal for now.
If you are not going to drag it around the Fein is worth getting. I use the paper bags. They are huge and work well. The purple heart that I work smells like dirty feet so when I take the vac in the house etc. I can put in another bag so house is not filled with ala dirty feet. I swap bags back and forth and they hold up.
Hey Roc !
Thanks for the good information about the Fein. I like learning about the little problems that come with a lot of power equipment. I'd be dragging the vac around using it on power tools.
Good info.......thanks
My vote is for the mid-sized Festool.
Quiet.
Stable - mine has never tipped when I pull it by the hose
Variable suction - very important when hooked to a ROS. Too much suction makes the sander "stick" to the boards,
Accessory plug-in start-stop. See ROS above.
Hose - the hose alone is almost worth the price. It almost coils by itself and never kinks.
Bags - change out bags with losing any dust.
Frosty
"I sometimes think we consider the good fortune of the early bird and overlook the bad fortune of the early worm." FDR - 1922
I have a Fein with the HEPA filter. Works great with ROS, plug the sander into the vac, set the switch to auto. Start the ROS and the vac starts - stop sanding and the vac runs a few seconds to clear the hose and stops. QUIET, and NEAR PERFECT dust collection. I primarily use it for ROS and jigsaw.
Down side, no on vac hose storage.
The lowest price last spring was at Costal Tool - $244.00 w/free shipping. Now it's about $258.
http://www.coastaltool.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/a/fein/turbo-i-fb.htm?L+coastest+mnng5274ff7ac97a+1221947682
Larry
What's the difference between the Turbo I and the Turbo II? I understand there's a size/capacity difference. I want a fairly small vac.Adam
OK just this old man.. Most shop Vaccume things work... I'd look at the new cost of the filter replaqcement!
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